The Legend of Zelda: Plague of Jintha'kal

She reacted more on instinct the moment Link yelled to get down, disengaging with the enemy and doing as Link said. She wasn't idle though, already trying to work up another, stronger spell to finish the thing off if need be. The only problem with her stronger spells is they took time and time was a thing you didn't want to waste any of in a real fight.

The instant Salene was out of the way, Link let the weapon fly. The creature let out a strange, echoing yelp of pain as the heavy steel ball slammed into it's side, knocking it to the ground, tumbling a few feet. However, Link noticed there was no real damage, and the weapon was too slow to hit when the thing knew it was coming now. Link put away the heavy thing, glancing around. That was when he saw the sword stuck in the ground, in the exact middle of the magical array that covered the ground here, as a viable option. He bolted toward it, the creature struggling to it's feet, and then charging after Link, quickly gaining on him.

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Salene had to cancel her spell after seeing what Link was going to do; it would have taken too long to finish. At that distance and the speed in which the creature was moving at, it was going to turn him into a pulp if not slice him in half. The magical spell flickered out of existence as she rushed forward, appearing to human eyes as simply a blue of white movement. She went in front of the large beast, bracing herself as she stopped the thing dead in its tracks from reaching Link.

Trying to find a more viable method, Salene temporary disengaged with the wrestling match, energy-like wings sprouting from her back as she took flight and to the thing's side. From there she grabbed(or attempted too) a portion of its top mouth with her left hand, and the bottom portion with her right. Both would 'peel' back at the same time, to hopefully break the creatures jaw if it worked right. She also made sure to be careful of avoid getting hit even if the thing proved too strong and clamped down. It helped she was on the side as well.

Salene's attempt seemed to work, as the creature let out a screech of pain as it's jaw was savagely broken... only for it to heal at an accelerated rate. It tensed, and the spikes on it's body went rigid, suddenly shooting out to try and impale Salene. At the same time, Link reached the sword, gripping it tightly and yanking it from it's resting place. The instant he did, there was a pulse of magic. The magical array glowed, and dark energy leaked from the center. There was another pulse, and then a shockwave of energy blasted Link off his feet, sent the creature flying, slammed into Salene, and took out the buildings closest by within several yards. The dark energy swirled around, then just blinked out of existance.

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Salene was forced to release and try to her best to avoid the incoming spikes. So it can regenerate.. She was going have to see about blowing the creatures head off from its shoulders or trying to reduce it to particles. That was going to have require more room, but it would definitely do some collateral damage so she'd have to be careful with Link and others nearby.

However, her brain was jolted from further thought, as was the rest of her body when the monster was suddenly tossed in the air and into her. For a moment the wind was knocked out of her lungs. Both the Goddess and the creature were sent crashing back the ground ungracefully like wounded ducks that had been shot out of the sky. It seemed Salene had been crushed underneath the beast from anyone looking and if Salene had been a normal human or Hylian would that would have been the case.

Instead, the creature was impossibly lifted, Salene grunting as she did so before she tossed it off her with a crash. The reason for it being easier this time she only had to lift its own weight and not test her own strength against it. That was much easier to do. Regardless, she had to make sure the monster was finished off.

In the back of her mind she knew the after math of the fight was potentially going to be ugly.

Link struggled to his feet, gripping the sword tightly, feeling a strange energy emanating from it. However strange though, he felt a calming presence to it, despite it's looks. He nodded slightly, and turned toward the creature... just in time to see it had gotten to it's feet and was in the middle of pouncing on him. Link reacted instantly, and swung the sword up. He was surprised when the blade not only cut the creature, it sliced right through it, a purple energy wave flying from the blade. The creature let out a chilling screech as it fell to the ground, it's left front and back legs sliced clean off, along with a good chunk of the left half of it's body. Link stared in shock, until the creature began to regenerate. He couldn't have that. He leapt up into the air, pointed his new sword downward, and came down, planting the sword into the creature's skull. It's cries ceased.

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Salene's clothes were going to need a repair soon, but that was hardly her concern at the moment. She was more worried people had been potentially killed by the blast Link had used, but she was hoping many would have left their houses while the fighting was going on to hide in a safer place. She made her way to Link and where the corpse of the strange demon-like monster was.

"..Finally over." She said softly. Salene wasn't sure why, but the presence of the thing caused her to feel slightly ill. Not enough to really bother her but just enough to make her feel uneasy in the stomach. Was it because the creature was in a way, her opposite? It didn't matter now though. What was important was where it had come from, and who had sent it.

Link sighed softly, staring at the creature as well. "Most likely. I'm just glad it's dead, that thing was dangerous..."

"You have no idea, child. That was An'Sumal, one of the many servants of Ner'Zhul. We'd thought him gone forever when the Harbinger came to us and defeated Ner'Zhul. It seems we were wrong. Let us hope Ner'Zhul's other servants are not around, but if An'Sumal has shown himself once more, it can only mean one thing. Ner'Zhul is returning." Link simply stared at the old man who was looking at him like he was some kind of god, and he didn't like it. "It is fortunate you have come, Promised One."

"...Promised One?" The old man nodded, kneeling in front of Link, which greatly disturbed him.

"Yes. When the Harbinger left his sword here, the sword you now hold, after defeating Ner'Zhul, he spoke of, one day, Ner'Zhul returning to us. Revived by ambition, and empowered by desperation, Ner'Zhul would rise once more to threated Eldruin, and even Hyrule itself. He spoke of a hero from another land, a broken goddess, a cursed soul, and a hollow warrior, all irreversibly tied to the fate of our lands. I think it's fairly obvious who the hero and goddess are, at this point. The fact that you've drawn that sword, which was used to defeat Ner'Zhul the first time, reinforces that."

"..." Link watched the very serious old man, and sighed heavily. "It seems that yet again, the task I'm sent to do turns into something much more. I can't very well ignore this, now can I?" He paused, glancing at Salene. "It sounds like you have a part in this too... but it's up to you."

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Salene merely closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't have to do this, while she was part of this prophecy it didn't say she had to be there. However, she wasn't fooling herself. If she turned her back on this now and something terrible occurred to threaten her and Hina's current way of life, then she'd have no one but herself to blame. How could she do that to her daughter and the people of this village she promised herself she'd protect?

She might of failed the first time as far as being a 'Guardian Deity'. She might not have been nearly as strong as she used to be, but for Hina and the others sake, she'd at least try.

Finally, she opened her eyes, her mind made up. "I don't have much choice. If I left, my concious would bother me. Not to mention this will threaten the fragile peace around here that I want my daughter to grow up in." Salene sighed softly. "I had been hoping for a much longer break from this; but maybe I was being too optimistic or naive."

Salene put on a small, slightly sad smile. "When do you intend to leave, Link?"

Link paused at that, then sighed. "Tomorrow afternoon. Take the time to get ready, and spend some more time with your daughter before we go, in case it takes awhile to get this done." He smiled slightly, then glanced around, wondering where he should sleep for the night.

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Almost as if reading his mind, but in reality just good at reading people for living such a long time Salene offered him a deal. "If you want, you can stay at me and my daughters home. We have a bit of extra room and I wouldn't mind. That and Hina seems to like you."

Link paused, considering it, then nodded. "Alright, thank you. I appreciate the invitation, and I promise not to make a nuisance of myself in your home." Link bowed slightly, remembering his manners he'd been taught back in Ordon, for when someone else welcomed you into their home.

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Salene just smiled a bit. "I doubt you'll be a problem if so far is any indication." She was worried about how long this journey would take and how dangerous it would be. She wasn't arrogant. There was a possibility whatever they encountered might be too much for them both. But best not to worry about that, she needed to remain optimistic.

It didn't take them long to get Hina from Hilda's house, the young girl seemed happy to see them both and stayed by their side the entire time.

When they reached Salene's house, Hina yawned a bit and the Goddess smiled at her child. "Are you tired?"

Link couldn't help but smile at Hina. He'd enjoyed watching after and playing with the kids back home, and he rather missed that. He'd try to savor this while he could, since he wouldn't have time to relax again anytime soon. He actually wondered if he would ever have time to really relax again at all. It seemed he always had one crisis after another to deal with. He just hoped that he didn't lose another friend this time. Midna was alive, that much was a comfort, but he'd never see her again... once more, his smile faded, replaced by depression.

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Salene noticed Link's depression but didn't say anything about it, at least in front of Hina. "I think you are just a bit tired. You want to grow up big and strong like Link, right?" At her slow nod, she went on. "Then growing little girls need their rest. I'll make you a big breakfast tomorrow."

That and the later comment seemed to do it and she finally gave in. Salene went to go tuck her daughter in the bed and went back to Link.

She didn't know him well, but she didn't like seeing people suffering, so she gently put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I know we don't know each other well, but if you ever want to talk about anything then I'd be willing to listen. Sometimes just having an open ear helps the mind."

The Goddess moved away, going to the kitchen. "I can't sleep. Did you want anything to drink or eat?"

Link blinked, looking at her in mild surprise, then smiled sadly. "Ah... yes, I could use a drink. Water, please... and I suppose you are right. Remember earlier, when I asked if you knew of the Twilight Realm? Well, what have you heard about the recent troubles in Hyrule?"

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

"I only hear bits and pieces of Hyrule." Salene got herself a glass of apple juice while getting Link his water and setting it down on a nearby table for him. "Mostly I've kept to myself and try to live quietly over here."

Link paused, thinking. "How about Ganondorf, or just Ganon? Have you heard of him? He's tied into what happened. Well, honestly he's the cause of what happened, but you get my point." It was a bit hard talking about this, knowing where it was going, but he felt that he would feel better once he did.

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

"I've heard of that man, yes." Salene said after a moment of thinking. "He's always been something of a bane to Hyrule from what I gathered. The old stories led me to believe there are either the same man, or for whatever strange reason someone is born that looks exactly the same, with the same name. I find that..too much of a coincidence."

Link chuckled a bit nervously. "Far as I can tell, it's the same man each time. He keeps coming back because he has a piece of the Triforce. Power, Wisdom, and Courage are the three pieces. Ganondorf has Power. Ever since he originally took it, Wisdom and Courage seem to have... traveled. Wisdom seems to always end up with the Zelda of that time period, from what I was told, and Courage... I have it. And so did the 'Hero' before me. It seems that this outfit I wear has been worn by each person that has defeated Ganondorf. Not sure if they were all named Link, but it's possible. Not sure why it happens, but it does." He shook his head, sighing.

"Anyway, last time, Ganondorf was defeated, and managed to survive execution thanks to his piece of the Triforce. So, as a second attempt, they flung him into the Twilight Realm. The Twilight Realm was created by the people of ancient Hyrule, and the tribes that used shadow magic were banished there. Anyway, Ganondorf was sent there. Where he gave his power to an insane man named Zant, who then overthrew the royalty of the Twilight Realm. Then, he began to take over Hyrule as well, imprisoning Zelda and covering Hyrule in a veil of Twilight that turned the creatures into mad beasts and the people into spirits." He paused, his mood worsening.

"...That's when I met her. Midna... when we first met, I couldn't stand her. SHe was pushy, rude, talked down to me... but she needed my help, and I needed hers. So together, we worked to undo Zant's magic and free Hyrule. We became friends... good friends. She honestly became the most important person to me, and I didn't even care when I found out that the crazy imp that was helping me was actually forced into that form by Zant and was the exiled Twilight Princess... anyway, after we free'd Hyrule from Twilight, we needed to take the fight to Zant. The only way to move between the two realms, was the Mirror of Twilight." Link took a long, deep breath, then continued.

"Zant had broken it, but we gathered the pieces, restored the Mirror, and went into the Twilight Realm. We defeated Zant, only to find that Ganondorf had regained enough power to return to Hyrule. We returned as well, and we fought him. First he possessed Zelda, and I had to force him out of her. Then he transformed into a massive beast. Midna and myself managed to defeat him. Then he returned as this... strange energy cloud. Midna teleported Zelda and me out of the castle, which was then mostly destroyed as she used the power of her people to try and defeat him.... she lost, and Ganondorf convinced me that Midna was dead." Anger was evident in his eyes here.

"The next battle was on horseback. Zelda rode with me, using arrows of pure light to weaken Ganondorf, where I would then be able to catch up to him on his horse and strike him with the Master Sword. When I finally got him off his horse, he created a barrier, sealing the both of us in, Zelda unable to interfere. It's there that we fought for the last time. He was much faster and stronger than me, but I managed to outmanuever him, and finally impale him with the Master Sword. The Triforce of Power left him finally, and... that was it.... except that now, the magic that had changed Midna released her back to her true form." Link went silent, staring at the floor for a long moment before continuing.

"I... I knew Midna had to go back to the Twilight Realm, to lead her people. I had no problem with that.... however... Light and Twilight cannot mix. The light of our realm is lethal to them, and the Twilight can drive someone from here mad. It was too dangerous... so... so as Midna left, she.... destroyed the Mirror of Twilight... and with it, any chance of us seeing eachother again. SHe was crying when she left... my last memory of her is her crying as she leaves, the two of us unable to see eachother ever again... it... it's just hard to handle..."

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Salene was silent after Link finished his story, not once interrupting him as she patiently listened to his story from the beginning to the end. Even after she finished, she reflected a bit back to everything he had said. For someone to have done so much for other people and still be unable to be with the person most precious to them was a cruel fate. But life was hardly ever fair even to the most kindest or noble of people, she had learned that fact bitterly herself. Despite that she didn't let it get to her or taint her spirit.

After all, as many things as she had lost, she still had gained something's and not all of it was bad. She wouldn't trade Hina for the entire collective realms. If she had to go through everything again and know from the beginning to have her daughter, she'd gladly relive those moments despite the pain. She was absolutely priceless to her.

But, what did Link have?

He didn't seem to have a family, his loved one was all but dead to him and yet he still went on. Link still continued doing what he was doing, never asking for much or getting a huge reward. People like that were rare no matter what the realm. They deserved something more but nothing she'd give would be enough. At best, she could offer him comfort and company, her companionship. Maybe her and her daughters company would make his day just a bit brighter. Naive, maybe. But it was better then nothing.

The Goddess went over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder once more. "You lost much." She said softly. "And so have I. Yet we still continue what we're doing regardless of the fact." She removed her hand from his shoulder. "Thank you for sharing, that could of not been easy."

Salene, after a moment, then sighed. "I suppose its only fair. Would you like to know how I ended up here?"

In response, Link gave Salene the faintest of smiles, bowing his head slightly. "Thank you for listening. I've wanted to talk to someone about it for a long while now, but the only people who might have been willing to listen, were unable to for one reason or another. As for you telling me how you got here... I can tell that it is a story you don't want to talk about, so I won't ask you to."

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

Salene shook her head to that. "No. It's something I do want to talk about." She found a place to sit down nearby since her story wasn't a short one. "Before I came here I was known as a Goddess of Light, or more to a point a Guardian Goddess. I had a domain of my own, angels who worked under me and even followers." She mused at the last part. "I never wanted followers however, people just choose too. For most gods and Goddesses, having followers boost their power. The more people 'believe' in them and actively pursue their agenda, the bigger the boost. I didn't much care for that though."

"..Eventually, the world I looked after was under attack so I helped the best I could as I wasn't going to stand idle. It was the first time I was in a war situation and though we won, because of my stupidity and ignorance of certain things, many people died, among other things." She sighed. "So, I stepped from my domain and gave that up. I instead let a friend take the mantle feeling they would serve better at protecting the life of that world."

"So for a time, I wondered. Merely going from one realm to the next. I even visited other domains during my time and traveled the Astral Sea." Salene halted to explain briefly. "There are many other worlds out there, but to travel through them more often then not you have to travel what's known as the Astral Sea. It's similar to space; or the ocean. There's so many wondrous things there that I wish I could show you and Hina someday.."

"Anyway, that aside, I continued to travel. I ended up in a realm called earth and lived a relatively quite existence. I had grown much weaker by then due to effectively giving up much of my power and status from my small domain. I met a man.." She grimaced at the memory. "I'll call him Caleb."

"I dated him for some time and made a foolish mistake of being intimate with him." Salene sighed again to that. "I became pregnant and at first he was ready to take responsbility but he became distant after Hina was born. Then, he just vanished, and I raised Hina solely by myself. Not that I cared, she was my world."

"Later on, he came back. Apparently one of my enemies I thought I had killed came back to haunt me and offered him a deal. Lead them to me and they would be rewarded some way. I couldn't fight and protect Hina at the same time, so I used my powers to make portals to teleport. Something went wrong, maybe I was hit, but I ended up here and further weakened then before. Me and Hina ended up first crashing into the temple and someone who could sense energy seemed to know what me and Hina were."

"You can guess what happened from there." Salene finished tiredly. "I have made a handful of foolish and stupid decisions, but still..it hasn't been all bad.."

Link paused, and shook his head. "We all make mistakes. All of us. And some mistakes are worse than others. But... I firmly believe that what you have or haven't done in meaningless. It's what you do, if that makes sense. Your actions in the present are more important than the ones in the past.... for example, the 'Hero of Time.' It was him, possibly an ancestor of mine, who was the first to recieve the Triforce of Courage, at the same time that Ganondorf first took the one of Power." He sat up a little straighter, his face serious.

"The 'Hero of Time' set out, under the instructions of Zelda, to retrieve the 'Spiritual Stones', I think they were called. These were meant to unlock the Door of Time so that he could grab the Master Sword and use it to kill Ganondorf who, at that time, was nothing more than just a powerful bandit king. However, in opening the Door of Time, he actually unwittingly allowed Ganondorf to reach the Triforce. The 'Hero of Time' was sealed for seven years, until old and strong enough to wield the Master Sword. He was only ten at the time, apparently." He took a breath, shaking his head.

"When he came out, it was to see the results of having accidentally allowed Ganondorf access to the Triforce. COuntless deaths. The destruction of Castle Town. Zora's Domain frozen over. Death Mountain a violently erupting volcano and the Goron's being fed to a dragon. Lake Hylia drained. Hyrule had become a twisted, hopeless shell of it's former self. Had the 'Hero' not opened the Door of Time, Ganondorf would not have become as powerful as he did, or have done what he did to Hyrule. Still, the 'Hero' fought on, and was given that title of 'Hero of Time'. My point, is that the past is just that. The past."

_________________"There is no such thing as 'Coincidence'. Only 'Inevitability'." ~ Yuuko Ichihara

When Link finished, she seemed to think on his words and smiled lightly. "You're right. I look what I have now and realize that while I have had my bumps, I'm far too blessed to mope about them. Then again, I never much had. But you're right, we can't worry about the past, easier said then done but still.."

She stood up. "Thank you for hearing me out. It's probably best we get some rest, I'll try too even if I don't feel like sleeping. Good night, Link." Salene then walked to her, not realizing that if Link bothered to look, he could see the natural sway of her hips which she wasn't even trying to do on purpose.